James Webb: prog families, the c veterans are not at risk of determing that their insurance does not meet the minimum essential coverage. therefore, exposing fines. some might suggest that it doesn't need to be fixed. the house went back very quickly

James Webb: and fixed tricare but not champ champva or spina bifida. it's that in the appropriate mechanism. the presiding oicer: the senator's time has expired. the senator from virginia. mr. webb: mr. president, i would suggest to my colleague from north carolina and to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that if you really want to fix this problem, we can fix it right now and we should

James Webb: fix it right now. we should not allow this issue to be tied up in the separate melodrama of the moment here. i introduced a bill on monday which passed the house unanimously on saturday to fix the tricare part of this. the chairman of the veterans' committee introduced a bill today to fix the spina bifida problem.

James Webb: i would ask unanimous consent that the finance committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 3148, a bill to amend the internal revenue code to provide for the treatment of department of defense health coverage as minimal essential coverage sponsored by myself. further, that the senate proceed to its immediate considerationen

James Webb: bank along with the bill introduced earlier today by senator akaka, a bill to clarify the health care provided by the secretary of veterans affairs that constitute the minimum essential coverage. that all democratic senators be added as cosponsors to this measure. that the bills be read a third time and passed en bloc, and the motions to reconsider be laid on

James Webb: the table en bloc with no intervening aion or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. coburn: we've got this -- we got this a minute and a half ago to see the language. you have an amendment on the floor that actually accomplishes everything you want to do, and

James Webb: why are we doing this? because you don't want to mess up a packa that's clean. it has every application, the burr amendment, to this. with that and the fact that this is exactly the kind of shenanigans the american people don't want, i object. mr. webb: let the american people understand the republicans objected to a matter that could have been fixed by

James Webb: law tomorrow. the presiding officer: objection is heard. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. akaka: mr. president, i move that we table the burr amendment and ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be.